Records show Stearns didn't 'double-dip' on homestead exemption

Saturday

Mar 24, 2012 at 5:50 PM

One o Cliff Stearns' opponents has raised questions about whether Stearns was double-dipping on the state's homestead property-tax exemption.

By Bill ThompsonStaff writer

One of U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns' opponents in the Republican primary for a new congressional seat has raised questions about whether Stearns was double-dipping on the state's homestead property-tax exemption.Clay County Clerk of the Circuit Court James Jett has been telling GOP voters that the Ocala Republican had received the tax break on two homes at the same time, which is illegal. But public records indicate that Jett is wrong; Stearns did not, in fact, receive simultaneous homestead exemptions for his Ocala home and a second residence in St. Johns County.

According to Marion County records and officials, Stearns claimed homestead exemption in the southeast part of Ocala from 1982 until 2003. Stearns acquired the St. Augustine property in September 2002 for $675,000, according to St. Johns County records. The 4,264-square-foot home sits along the Matanzas River, an intercoastal waterway, and features a dock and boathouse.Stearns' homestead exemption in St. Augustine took effect in the 2004 tax year and was retained through 2006, St. Johns County records indicate.In May 2006, Stearns' wife, Joan, wrote to St. Johns County officials that the couple had recently purchased a home in Ocala and would be transferring the homestead exemption from the St. Augustine address to that site. The couple has claimed homestead on the Ocala property from 2007 to the present, Marion County records show.Multiple state regulations mandate that the homestead tax break is available only to Florida residents who make the property in question their primary residence. The state Constitution says every Floridian who has legal title to a home and "maintains thereon the permanent residence of the owner" can claim homestead exemption. State law notes that every resident who, as of each Jan. 1, has the legal title to property and who "resides thereon and in good faith makes the same his or her permanent residence" qualifies for the exemption.While the documents prove Stearns was not double dipping, they raise a different question that his political foes can latch onto: where did Stearns live from 2004 to 2006 when he claimed the St. Augustine house as his primary residence?Florida's oldest city is not only far outside Marion County, but also sits outside Stearns' current congressional district. And although it is not illegal for a congressman to live outside the district he represents, Stearns' political opponents have sought to portray him as an opportunist who is not committed to his district.The 23-year veteran of Capitol Hill would not say whether he was using the St. Augustine home as his primary residence during that time. Through his staff, Stearns declined an interview on Friday.In a series of emails, Stearns' spokesman, Paul Flusche, instead accused Jett — who recently claimed the FBI was investigating Stearns and two supporters for an attempted bribe to get him to drop out of the race — of "lying" about the alleged double-dipping.Flusche said questions of the congressman's residence are "irrelevant" since he did not claim a dual homestead exemption. He also accused the Star-Banner of reporting a series of "negative" stories that "reflect inaccurate charges" and "besmirch" Stearns' record."The real story is why Mr. Jett is lying again and not where Rep. Stearns chooses to live," Flusche said in one of the emails.On Saturday, Stearns issued a statement about why he claimed a homestead exemption on the home outside his district from 2004 to 2006."Under current law, the homestead exemption can be claimed by any permanent resident in the State of Florida who owns or occupies the property, and there is no need to claim it as a primary residence. I have had a long history in Ocala extending back decades, and my wife continues to work at the college in Ocala," the statement reads.Jett acknowledged Friday that he had told voters on the campaign trail Stearns had been enjoying homestead exemptions simultaneously on the Ocala and St. Augustine homes. He said it was an easy mistake to make because, throughout his career, Stearns' financial disclosure forms and campaign documents indicated that Ocala was his home."If he's not, I totally apologize to assume he was claiming homestead in two places," Jett said. "I would assume he was living and claiming homestead exemption where he lived."But then Jett went back on the offensive."He did claim homestead exemption outside his district for several years. He abandoned his district. Why would somebody abandon his people and live outside his district for years?" Jett said.Stearns' opponents have made his residency an issue throughout the early part of this campaign.When state lawmakers redrew the congressional boundaries as part of the decennial redistricting process, they drew the veteran lawmaker's Ocala home out of his old 6th District and into the 11th District held by Rep. Rich Nugent of Brooksville. Stearns subsequently decided to run for the new 3rd District, where three Republican candidates — state Sen. Steve Oelrich of Gainesville, Jett and Gainesville veterinarian Ted Yoho — had already filed.The 3rd District is a sprawling region that covers all or parts of 13 counties from the Gulf Coast up to the state line and over to the Jacksonville suburbs. That region also retains 66 percent of Stearns' current constituents, including most of those in Marion west of Interstate 75 and in western Alachua, and covers all or part of six of the eight counties the 12-term legislator now serves.Oelrich later revealed that Stearns had told him he would establish residency in the 3rd District by renting an apartment in Orange Park, a city in Clay County, home to the bulk of GOP voters in the new district.Contact Bill Thompson at 867-4117 or at bill.thompson@starbanner.com.